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ATOC response to ORR report on ticketing complexity

07/06/2012

In response to the Office of Rail Regulation’s (ORR) report on ticketing, Michael Roberts, Chief Executive of the Association of Train Operating Companies said:

“By providing a broad range of fares, operators have attracted record numbers of passengers to the railways. Despite tough financial times, more and more people are choosing to go by train because they are able to find a good value ticket for their journey.

“A lot has been done to make things as straightforward as possible for passengers and we are committed to doing better. Train companies have been involved for some time now in a series of projects to improve the information they provide to passengers.”

Train companies are already offering or working towards:

- Redesigning train tickets to make information clearer
- Better information about route options on more user-friendly ticket machines
- Wider availability of print-at-home tickets and easier ticket collection
- Allowing passengers to receive tickets on their mobile phones
- Cutting out jargon on tickets and at ticket machines e.g. ‘London Terminals’
- All major websites now have cheapest fare finders to help passengers get the best value tickets

Figures from ATOC show that in 2011 sales of reduced-price tickets rose by 9%. This includes:

- Advance tickets rose by 16%
- Journeys on Railcards rose by 10%. More than 100 million journeys are now made with a Railcard each year, giving holders an annual average saving of £135 a year. Railcards give a third of the price off most tickets for young people, families and the over 60s.
- Off-Peak fares grew by nearly 7% and Super Off Peak fares increased by 12%.